Valente earns prestigious Regional ITA Awards

ATLANTA—Georgia State men’s tennis senior Victor Valente earned two prestigious honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with the Southeast Regional Senior of the Year award and Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award on Wednesday.

By earning the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award for the Southeast region, Valente is now entered into the drawing for the 2013 National ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Collegiate Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. One men’s and women’s winner will be honored by the USTA and the ITA at a special awards luncheon held in the USTA President’s Dining Room during the 2013 US Open at Ashe Stadium on Arthur Ashe Kids Day. The award dates back to 1982 and goes to one men’s and one women’s NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and JUCO student-athlete that exhibits outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.

Courtesy of the USTA and the ITA, the national winner will be flown to New York City for a weekend of festivities including the ITA Collegiate Team Awards Luncheon on Saturday. The winner also has the chance to watch the Center Court Show during Arthur Ashe Kids Day from the Presidents Box.

Valente’s Regional Senior Player of the Year award also nominates him for the National Farnsworth Memorial Senior Player of the Year Award. Each year the ITA honors each student-athlete by region who is ranked Top 50 nationally or Top 10 regionally during their senior year, has developed over a period of four years into one of the best regional or national players, and has contributed to their team in the areas of leadership, sportsmanship, tennis performance and tennis development during their careers. These regional honorees are then nominated for the national award.

“Victor's dedication to the community of Atlanta is unparalleled,” first-year head coach Joerg Barthel said, “He is a leader in all areas on and off the court and we are proud of his success at Georgia State across his four years here.”

Valente and senior Lucas Santa Ana became the first doubles team in Georgia State men’s tennis history to earn a berth in the NCAA Doubles Championship on May 1. Valente also became just the second student-athlete in school history to earn a berth to the NCAA Singles Championship. Both competitions begin on May 22 and 23 respectively.

Visit the men’s tennis page on GeorgiaStateSports.com for all coverage of Valente’s progress in the singles tournament and his play in the doubles tournament with Santa Ana in the following weeks.